Friends?
by Phantom of the Black Pearl
Summary: When Zim finds out that his mission was a lie he begins to go mad with the urge to prove himself. But is revenge on the Tallest worth ruining the closest thing to friendship Zim has ever had? Will he be able to pick up the pieces? What will life be like if Zim throws away all he's ever known for something he never knew he wanted? ZaDf, ZaGr, DaOCr, 5 awesome OCs
1. Chapter 1 Emotions

_Zim and Dib are now freshmen; Gaz is in eighth grade. Zim is in his base and his leaders just found an odd excuse to end his surprise call, not knowing that they let slip an important piece of information._

Never had Zim felt so much at one time. He was shocked. He felt stupid, hurt, confused, and angry. He felt like a failure. He felt helpless. And if there was one thing Zim didn't like, it was feeling helpless. He was the almighty ZIM! He wasn't helpless… until now. The room was silent. Even GIR was silent. He saw that his master was deeply troubled. He knew the weight that the words from the mouths of the Tallest carried. Not because of who they were, but because of what they meant. Just before the transmission had been cut, Zim had heard something that changed the course of his life forever. He stood; blank-faced in front of the empty screen; the computer not daring to interrupt his trance. Finally, Zim turned slowly to face his minion. His ruby eyes blazed; the anger and pain welled up in him, and began to give way to an unquenchable hunger for vengeance. He told GIR: "We will take over this miserable, filthy planet, and perhaps others, and the Tallest will see how worthy I am, and they will rue the day they EVER DISOWNED ZIM!" "YAY!" GIR exclaimed. Zim smiled; chuckling darkly, "Yes GIR, yay."

_Two years pass (Zim and Dib are juniors; Gaz is a sophomore). Zim has made many attempts at world domination, none of them successful. This is, of course, mostly thanks to Dib; who is still believed to be crazy for thinking Zim is an alien. Gaz is still annoyed by it all, but mostly by the fact that she knows Zim is actually smart, although he has his moments. She knows that if he had a genius day, nothing went wrong, and her brother would stay out of the way, he probably could take over Earth. Not that she cared. Dib has noticed that Zim's most recent plans have been increasingly intelligent, complex, risky, and desperate. He is concerned. He doesn't want Zim to take over Earth, but he feels he would probably have a boring life without Zim to bother him. Zim is beginning to realize that his efforts are inevitably fruitless, and will continue to be if he doesn't do something drastic. He cannot deal with the fact that the Tallest found him to be useless and destructive, and sent him away to be rid of him. He is teetering on the psychological brink; __**something**__ is going to change; who knows what, but all Zim needs is a push._

Zim smiled in a way that only he could. He did it with evil in his eyes; you could see it despite the contacts. Today he would carry out a plan that he knew would work. He followed Gaz out the doors of the building that had been labeled 'hi skool.' Gaz knew she was being followed, but she was in a good mood, and found Zim's little caper entertaining. So she let him alone, to see what he was going to do. Dib had some kind of sciencey-club meeting after school today, and wouldn't be heading this way for another half-hour or so. Zim followed her until he knew they were alone on the street. He then sped up so that he was walking beside Gaz. Without turning her head she said "What is it this time, Zim?"

"Oh, Zim was just admiring the uniqueness of your lovely purple hair." He could think of no other way to distract her.

Gaz laughed, "I'm sure. What are you up to this time? Am I gonna have to rescue my brother again? Because I really don't feel like a rescue mission today; I want to play my new video game."

"Oh, you will find out soon enough, little Gaz. My plan will soon be clear…" Zim smiled mischievously.

Gaz knew he was going to do something; otherwise he wouldn't have bothered with her. She was keeping up conversation for the sake of stalling; so she could get information.

"But as Zim was saying, your hair is a fascinating hue; very rare, and Zim would like to test it; to study its genetic properties."

"Since when were you into human genetics?" Gaz humored him for the time being.

"Um…." A confused look invaded his formerly confident face. He had obviously not predicted this question and as such was searching for a credible answer. He found one. Or almost found one.

"When Zim takes over Earth, he wants to breed human smeets to have whatever hair color he wants so GIR can play dress-up with wigs and won't bother Zim anymore. GIR has taken a liking to purple lately."

"Oh, really?" Gaz mused. "And were this true, what would you need from me?"

Zim began to reach for the back of her neck. "Zim would only need a small snippet of Gaz's hair…"

"Touch my hair and you die, Zim."

"Really? Well then I wonder what happens if I do this?" Gaz could feel his hand on her neck; she was about to punch him when she felt the sting, then it all went black. Zim was proud of himself; it had worked. The Gaz-human had believed him; long enough for his plan to work. He picked her up and headed for his base. He paged his minion: "GIR! Get the base ready; we have company."

"Yay!" was all Zim heard before he hung up. Not that he had expected any different.


	2. Chapter 2 Deceit

As Gaz lay unconscious on the slab, Zim began to realize how lovely she really was. Now that he could look at her properly without fear of pain, he found he enjoyed the power it gave him. Seeing Gaz lying there on the table completely at his mercy; made him feel all tingly inside. Not that he would ever do anything to hurt her; he just wanted to distract Dib. He was just starting to imagine what Dib would do when he found out his sister was 'willingly' in the hands of the alien he so despised; when Gaz began to stir. Zim went over to see if she was coming into consciousness completely. When he bent over her, she punched him where his nose should be.

"OW!" he yelled. "Well, I guess that answers that question."

"What, if I remembered what I was about to do before you knocked me out? Yeah, I do."

"No, if you were awake. But either one works, I suppose."

"So what do you really want from me? I see my hair is still intact."

"Yes, that was simply a clever ploy, to get at your neck."

"Well, I don't know if I'd call it clever."

"Well, it worked, didn't it?"

For once, Gaz had no reply. She simply glared at him and growled angrily. Zim took this opportunity to gloat. "Ha! I was right." Gaz could see the pleasure in his smug face; she didn't like it.

"Do you like pain, Zim?"

Although she was in his captivity, he said nothing more; his face still hurt from her fist colliding with it.

Gaz smirked; "So, let's try this again. Why is it I'm a hostage in your base?"

"Well, I intend to make sure you are in sufficient danger to distract your brother. Which; now that I think of it; doesn't look so convincing right now. Computer, restrain her." Before Gaz had time to react, she was indeed restrained. She struggled, but to no avail. _Although_, she thought, _if he had wanted to do anything to me, he would have done it while I was unconscious._ So she decided to settle and let him explain. "While the Dib-stink saves you, I will carry out my real plan. I left him a note at your home, you see. He will be too busy worrying about saving you to even think that I have another plan."

"Oh? And what is this plan of yours?"

"To take over Earth, of course. You should know that by now."

"Ooo, sarcasm. I thought that was my department. You're learning, Zim. So how are you gonna do it this time?"

"Well, I don't know if I should tell you; you might inform your brother, and that could just throw things off a little you see."

_**Meanwhile….**_

Dib walked slowly home from school; his mind wandering. He was lost in scientific thought when he walked through the door, up the stairs, into his bedroom. Then he stopped dead in his tracks. He walked back out of his room and toward Gaz's. There was a note on her door. It read:

_Dear Dib,_

_Went home with Zim; he told me he had finally found a way to take over the world that would really work, and wants me to return with him when the armada comes. He said my utter disregard for anything except what I really wanted reminded him of himself, and believes that I should not be enslaved like the other humans. He says he has another plan for me. This time, Dib, please don't get in the way; I don't want you to get killed. I will make sure he doesn't make things too horrible for you and Dad when Earth belongs to Irk._

_-Gaz_

Dib just stood there for a moment; taking it all in. His sister had gone home with Zim; his mortal enemy, and had accepted the idea of the enslavement of Earth? His enemy thought his sister was better than all the other humans because she was fiercely independent; had no social ties beyond Dib and their father, and was a little bit of a psychopath? Zim **and** Gaz thought it would actually work this time? Well, he wasn't just going to 'stay out of the way,' he was going to get his sister! He had to save her from these delusions Zim had put in her head. And with that, Dib unknowingly began to walk; or run, rather; right into Zim's trap.


	3. Chapter 3 Control

When Dib got to Zim's house he beat on the door; "Give my sister back, Zim! I don't know how you filled her head with these delusions, but I won't let you take her!" He tried the doorknob just in case; surprisingly, it worked. The door swung slowly open. Dib walked in and his eyes wandered the room in search of a way to get down to the lab. Just then the floor swallowed him up and he found himself falling endlessly into the dark.

Zim was fiddling with the computer; making his last few adjustments and checking to see that everything was in order when he heard a thump, and then annoying yelling. "Zim! Zim I know you're out there, somewhere. Let me out of here! Let Gaz go!" Zim sighed. He looked over at Gaz, sneering; "Shall I go release your brother, or leave him there for a while?" She smirked; "Oh, how about we leave him there 'til his voice goes away? It's stupid anyways, one less thing I have to deal with at home." Zim laughed; "Oh I can do much better than that, little Gaz. You won't have to deal with him much longer." Gaz laughed, but then she saw the crazed look in his eyes. For the moment, she was truly concerned for her brother's safety; and Zim's sanity. "Computer, release her," Zim said quietly so that Dib wouldn't hear. Surprised, Gaz stared at him with curiosity. She was for once interested in what he was going to do next. She knew he was smart, but had never imagined he would be this confusing. She walked up behind him; ready to spring into action if necessary.

Zim walked slowly over to the glass box Dib had landed in. Dib, however, saw nothing; there was some kind of Irken technology being used to tint the glass. It was pitch black inside; he might as well have been blind. "I intend to release you soon enough; like your sister, I find your voice annoying." As Zim spoke, the tint of the glass slowly faded, letting in the light. Dib began to see that he was in Zim's lab, and Gaz was standing behind him looking, curiously, engaged in the situation. Had Zim really managed to convince her to come back with him? Did Gaz really think Zim was going to succeed this time? And why was Zim looking at him like prey? _Oh wait_, he thought; _I'm in a cage…. That would make sense; maybe…_

"Gaz, please don't do this, don't let him fool you! It's not going to actually work this time. It'll be like all the other times, he will fail, or I'll stop him! Zim, just let her go; it's me you want."

Zim chuckled darkly, "Dib, you are more right than you know, but you will find out about that in a moment. For now, let me show you the plan you will not get a chance to meddle with." The Irken walked over to one of the various computer screens and mumbled indistinctly to it in his native tongue. While he did this, Gaz said quietly to her brother: "I know it's not going to work, but he kidnapped me and I find this entertaining, so I'm letting it play out."

"He kidnapped you?" Dib yelled, "And you find this entertaining?" Zim twitched, and pressed a button on the cleverly concealed cuff on his wrist. Gaz's eyes went out of focus for a second, and then she felt her consciousness being pushed aside. "I thought you said he persuaded you to go with him, that this time he would succeed?"

"Of course. When I said kidnapped, I was joking. Surely you know by now, Dib, that I do that all the time." Gaz heard her voice say the words, felt her mouth move, but had no active part in it. She was a bystander; she was trapped in her body, but had no control over it. _Zim, when I have control of my body again, I am going to kill you!_

Gaz wasn't sure how he had done it, but she knew it was him.

Now that Gaz was under control and couldn't ruin his plan, Zim let her converse with Dib while he pulled up his world domination plan on the screen. His best yet; he knew it would work, especially with Dib out of the way; permanently.

Dib was confused at his sister's confidence in Zim, but distracted by something. Zim had looked at him weird. Not funny weird, but scary weird. The expression on his face made Dib think of a predator playing with his prey before he ate it. It scared him. He knew Zim was, well, Zim, but he looked almost… insane. He watched Zim carefully as he walked back over to his confinement chamber; he stood up. "So what are you up to this time, Zim? And why are you so confident it will work?" he challenged.

"Well, the answer to your first question: how, is on this screen here. I have spent the past few months working on putting pipes underground; connecting to my base, and snaking underneath the feet of the entire planet. In, oh five minutes or so, I intend to press a button releasing a chemical compound I discovered that temporarily renders soil completely infertile. So you see, this chemical will course through the pipes and surge out into the surrounding soil, and maybe even the water table, making the entire world unable to grow food. Within weeks this planet will be reduced to a weak, starving population that will have no choice but to surrender to me. I will rule, or they will die. I don't eat filthy Earth food, so I will be immune to the entire situation. I can survive until they decide to give in to me. I can survive as long as I want without Earth food. So you see, this is truly genius, and it will work. Even if this stupid planet decides to die, I will simply leave, and find somewhere else more worthy of my domination."

_Okay_, now Dib was sure of it; _Zim has gone off the deep end. He has always been a little crazy, but now he has really cracked._ And what Zim would say next only confirmed the status of his sanity; or lack thereof.

"And the best part is; you won't even be here. I'm taking an extra precaution to make sure you can't spoil it this time. For you see, the answer to your second question is this. I am very confident that this is going to work because the only way it wouldn't is if you messed it up. And I am going to make sure you can't mess it up, Dib." As Zim spoke, he moved closer to the glass prison, he stared into Dib's face; confidently confronting him. "You will not get in the way this time, Dib. Do you know why? Because by the time I press the button," he paused. Suddenly the floor dropped out from underneath Dib. He fell a few feet and found himself sprawled on his back. Then Zim strode closer. Dib scrambled upright, and then was backed against the wall. Zim silently commanded the computer to restrain him by the ankles. "By the time I press that button," he repeated, beginning to crush Dib's throat with a gloved hand; "you will be dead."


	4. Chapter 4 Thoughts

Gaz was infuriated. She couldn't believe Zim had the gall to do this to her. She tried to break free, to scream at him, but when she opened her mouth the words that came out were not hers; they were Zim's. When she regained the use of her body, she was going to beat him senseless.

Zim; interrupting her thoughts (she was busy coming up with ways to make him pay), then proceeded to narrate his latest plan. _Wow_, Gaz thought, _this might actually work. He is pretty smart when he really puts his mind to something._ Then he started talking about how he knew it would work because Dib wouldn't get in the way, blah, blah, blah…. Wait a minute… _Did he just threaten to __**kill**__ my brother?_ She watched as Zim gripped Dib's throat tightly. _I'll save him in a minute, this is; WAIT, I can't. I can't move unless Zim does it on his little remote or whatever he's using to control me. Well, damn. This isn't good. I'm sure Dib will get free. Zim won't really kill him… right?_ But Gaz wasn't so sure. She had seen the hate, anger, and insanity smoldering in his eyes like hot coals as he paced dangerously toward Dib. Now Zim was truly killing her brother, and he had made sure there was nothing she could do about it. Gaz saw him pull a weird-looking gun on Dib. Well, she wasn't going to let him get away with this. Dib might be incredibly annoying most of the time, but he was her brother, and she loved him. She had to do what she could. So she let go; she let herself lose control, started to get angry. She could feel her body begin to shake…

Zim was poised, ready for the kill. He had been anxiously awaiting this moment since he decided to do it. He was finally going to be rid of this pest; the one that Zim had figured out was the only person standing in the way him of proving himself. He wasn't going to let Dib be in the way any longer. He was finally going to be respected. Zim pulled out a gun he had made himself; an upgrade on the original model. "I thought it only fitting that you be killed with an Irken weapon," Zim articulated. He put the gun to Dib's forehead, leaned down to his ear, and whispered; "Victory; victory for Zim." Then the alien straightened up; Dib was still struggling to pry Zim's hand from his throat. Zim looked into his eyes; he was going to enjoy this.

Dib was shocked. He was actually going to do it. This was the end. Zim was going to kill him and take over. He was doomed, Earth was doomed, and he had no idea what Zim was going to do with Gaz. Maybe he would kill her too. He couldn't bear to think of it. Well, if he was going out, he might as well face it. He looked at Zim with a fire in his eyes; with the determination that he had kept all these years, even though Earth wouldn't care when he was gone. He looked into Zim's eyes as if to say _Do it. I'm ready. You'll make me a martyr, Zim. I may be out of the way, but someone will stop you. You will never win. _Then he saw something surprising in Zim's eyes. Something he never thought he'd see; nostalgia.

Zim was about to pull the trigger, but then he froze. He realized, suddenly, what he was really doing. He saw in Dib's eyes six years of history, six years of a rivalry that wasn't always a rivalry. He began to realize that what he had there on Earth was the closest thing to a friendship he had ever had. Well, unless he counted GIR; which he wasn't sure he would. Well, maybe sometimes. The Tallest had rejected him as an Invader; seen him as worthless. The rest of the Irkens probably felt the same way. What would he do when he had Earth, and Dib was dead? What would he have? Would it be worth it? He wasn't sure he would like the answer to those questions if he pulled the trigger. So he didn't.

Zim was hesitating, he was remembering. _But remembering what?_ Dib saw something even more surprising then; indecision. He saw the insanity fade from Zim's eyes, and felt his grip relax. Then he was on the floor.

Zim laid the gun down, freed his grip on Dib's neck, and let him fall. He released Gaz from her mind control. And then he went to his room, where he sat for the next few hours; thinking.

Dib was concentrating too hard on breathing for a moment to realize what exactly had just happened. Or, for that matter, what had just not happened. When he finally caught his breath, he stood up in time to see a very perplexed Zim leaving the lab. Dib rubbed his neck; where there would probably be a three-fingered bruise tomorrow. _He didn't kill me. Zim was going to kill me, but he didn't. Why didn't he kill me?_ Dib was very confused, but for now, just glad to be alive. He just wanted to go home and think. And take a long nap.

Gaz was in control of her body again; she could feel her consciousness being liberated. She remained motionless, however; with pure disbelief. She was stunned by the events of the past few minutes. She needed a moment, or a few, to take it in. She wanted to inflict much pain on Zim for what he had done to her and her brother in the past hour, but he hadn't killed Dib. She wasn't sure why. But she was glad. She needed to think it through. He had seemed distressed when he left the lab, and hadn't said a word. He just left them there. And he hadn't killed Dib. He had released her. He hadn't even put his plan into action. Well, Gaz decided she would just talk to him later. After she punched him; again. For now, she would just go home with Dib, and think.

So the shell-shocked siblings walked home, and spent the rest of the night trying to relax. And figure out what was going on in the strange world of Zim's head.


	5. Chapter 5 Storytime

_A/N: You didn't really think I was going to have Zim kill Dib, did you? Cliffhangers are much more fun when you're the writer… xD_

"_Gaz." Dib broke into her thoughts. "Put your wings away," he said gently, placing his hand on her shoulder._

"_I have my wings out?" Gaz hadn't noticed; she had been absorbed._

"_Yeah, you do. When Zim pressed some button on that thing on his wrist they opened."_

"_I guess I lost control, but until he let me out of his mind control it wouldn't show. I tried when he was choking you, I let go, but it didn't work…" she suddenly hugged him._

"_Don't worry about it," he said, startled. "We can talk about this later. Let's go home."_

"_Yeah," she sighed, letting go and folding her wings back into place. "Let's go home." She turned to walk away, then stopped and looked back at Dib. "Oh, by the way; don't expect me to do that ever again."_

Don't worry,_ Dib thought; _I don't.

Gaz remembered the conversation from earlier that afternoon. She still didn't know what exactly had happened in Zim's head. He had almost killed Dib; she couldn't bring herself to believe it. She was going to hurt him for it later, but for now she concentrated on how it had managed to escape her observation that Zim was having a psychotic breakdown.

Dib was still shaken up; his six-year rival had almost killed him. _Almost_ killed him. Why hadn't he? Why had he stopped? Zim had simply dropped him, just let them go, he didn't even put his plan into motion. He knew the alien didn't particularly like him, and he had noticed that lately Zim had gotten a little more, well, insane. But he didn't think it would go this far. And then Zim had just left. And Gaz had hugged him! The whole experience was confusing, and scary. What was going on in that alien's head; or his sister's; Dib could only guess, but he was concerned.

Zim was thoroughly confused. And angry at himself. He had Dib in his hand, had him helpless, just as he had been, and he could have done it. He could have had Earth and perhaps the Tallests' respect. And he would even have Gaz; under his control forever if he wanted. Although; the fascinating (yet scary) human female would probably have figured out a way to escape, and destroy Zim for killing her brother. Or maybe she would be happy about it… It was hard to tell with that girl. Perhaps that was why he admired her… Anyway; it would have been so easy. So why hadn't he done it? He didn't know. Or would never admit that he did…

Dib, Gaz, and Zim all stayed home from school the following day. They were still a little disconcerted by the events of the previous evening. The day after, however, Dib and Gaz returned to that horrid establishment of 'learning'. Zim, on the other hand; remained absent once again.

Gaz sat at the lunch table staring off into space contemplating how to get back at Zim; mostly back to herself again. "Hi!" said a voice; interrupting her trance. Gaz looked up, "Oh, hi Kat." She responded lazily. Kat sat down beside her.

"Are you okay, Gaz? I noticed that you, Dib, and Zim were all gone yesterday, and obviously that's kind of weird."

"Yeah, it's kind of complicated."

"Complicated how? Anything I can help with?"

"No, not really."

"Come on, tell me, please? I don't like it when you're sad," Kat prodded, knowing that if it were anyone else Gaz would have hit them or told them to go away by now.

"Fine," she growled. "But you won't believe it…"

"Gaz, I think I've seen enough weird stuff in this town to believe you if you told me you were a unicorn."

"You would believe I was a _unicorn_? After you've known me for how long?" Gaz joked, but she wondered if Kat would believe her if she revealed what she _really_ was.

"Well, no I really don't see you being a _unicorn_, but you know what I mean." Kat smiled.

"Okay, I'll tell you what happened, but you can't tell anyone, got it?"

"Okay. I won't, I promise." Kat crossed her heart.

"I believe you," Gaz chuckled. She then proceeded to tell Kat the chilling events of the afternoon two days before.

"WHAT? Zim almost _**killed**_ Dib? I knew he was getting a little insane, but I didn't think it was that bad…"

"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out how I missed it…"

"So we're not telling anyone else about this, I understand that. But do you want me to keep it from Kris, Sam, Zen, and Meg as well? "

"Well, I mean _I guess_ it doesn't really matter considering they know the situation, but just don't talk about it too much _here_, okay?"

"All right. We'll tell them today and we can talk about it later. OOO! You can come over, and we can have a girl's night out or a sleepover or something! Only that is, if you really want to…" Kat smiled angelically.

"Yeah. Whatever." Gaz replied; rolling her eyes at Kat's exuberance, and went back to eating.

"What's this about a sleepover?" Zen asked eagerly. She and her equally lively twin Meg; who were in the same grade as Gaz, sat down opposite them.

Kat looked at Gaz; a gesture that she knew meant she was going to let her tell the story, because that's just the way she was. Gaz sighed; Kat was her oldest friend, and the only reason she knew Zen, Meg, Kris, and Sam. But sometimes she wished they all weren't so… friend-like. "Why don't we wait 'til Sam and Kris are here so I don't have to tell the story for a third time?"

"Okay; works for me," Meg said, and began to eat.

"So does this story have anything to do with why you, Dib, and Zim were **all** gone yesterday?" Sam inquired when she and Kris sat down.

"Yes. Everything, in fact." Gaz answered dryly.

"Then by all means, do tell," Kris said with an expression that was a combination of curiosity and concern. "We were worried about you, you know. All three of you."

"Thanks. It's good to know someone was." Dib said in a cynical way as he sat down beside Sam with a sour look on his face.

"Hi Dib," Zen greeted him cheerfully.

"Hi," answered Dib indifferently.

"Anyway, on with the story," Sam reminded them anxiously as Zen began poking Dib and making faces to try and cheer him up.

"Okay," Gaz sighed. "Wednesday Dib had a club meeting and I was walking home by myself. Zim followed me, and I knew he was; I just thought it would be funny to see what he would try to do. So I let him, and when there was no one else on the street-"

"Wait, you're telling them what happened?" Dib demanded.

"Yeah, why not?" Gaz challenged.

"Um, no reason…" he trailed off.

"Dib, they know what's going on, okay? Don't worry about it." Gaz said, irritated.

"Oh. Okay- WAIT, you mean they know Zim's an alien? They believe me? We should-"

"DIB! Stop talking; please. Just because you were almost killed two days ago doesn't mean your voice doesn't still fill me with rage. Besides; they don't care about you and Zim's little games. That's one of the reasons I'm friends with them." Gaz explained.

Dib opened his mouth to retort, but then thought better of it and remained silent. So Gaz continued. "As I was saying; Zim caught up to me when there was no one else around and started making up something about how he wanted a lock of my hair so GIR could have a purple wig to play with or some shit like that. So I told him if he touched my hair I'd kill him and he had the audacity to say 'Well then I wonder what happens if I do this,' and injected me with something that knocked me out right there, before I could even punch him. But I got to do that later, when I woke up. So then he tells me that-"

"Wait, you punched him?" Kris asked.

"Yeah, where a normal person's nose would be."

"Really? Oh my gosh; I wish I had been there!" Dib and Sam said and laughed at the same time; along with the rest of the table. "But that's mean…" Sam said; having more tolerance for Zim than Dib did. Gaz laughed. "Yeah, well, he deserved it. Anyway, Zim tells me that he left a note for Dib at our house and that he would be along shortly to rescue me; which was true. So Dib falls into this glass box, yells at Zim to let him out, let me go, and something weird about other stuff; about this not being any different than any other time, and Zim's not going to succeed. So Zim lets me go; he had me restrained, and walks over to the cage and tells Dib that he's gonna show him his new plan or whatever. So when Zim walks away I tell Dib that I know it's not going to work; Zim kidnapped me and I find it all entertaining. Dib freaks out-"

"I did not freak out!" Dib argued. Gaz just gave him an aggravated look that said _I don't care, let me finish._ So he slouched onto the table and was quiet once more. Sam looked at him and giggled; he smiled. Gaz resumed the retelling. "Dib freaks out and yells something about Zim kidnapping me, and next thing I know, Zim's got me under mind control. Everything I said from there on out was Zim, not me. I couldn't even move. So when Zim is done narrating his plan, lets Dib out of the cage, and backs him up against the wall; I can't do anything. Then, Zim starts crushing my brother's throat and puts some weird gun to his head, and I'm like 'oh, shit, Zim is about to seriously kill my brother, and he made sure there was nothing I could do about it.'''

"But then comes the weird part," Dib intervened. "He let me go. He dropped the gun, dropped me, let Gaz out of the mind control, and just left. He just walked away; didn't set his plan into motion or even bother to make sure we left or anything. And we haven't seen him since." Dib finished coldly.

The whole table was stunned, and no one broke the silence until Sam's concerned outburst. "He almost killed you and you didn't feel the need to let us know? Are you okay?"

"Well, we just told you. And yes, I'm fine, other than this odd-shaped bruise that would have been hard to explain," Dib explained as he pulled aside the collar of a turtleneck to reveal a three-fingered blemish that looked indeed like he had almost been suffocated.

"I was wondering about the sudden change in wardrobe choice…" Meg responded flippantly.

_A/N: OK so these OC's are basically me, my two best friends, my sister, and my cousin in IZ form. In the story Zen and Meg are twins and my sisters and Kris and Sam are my best friends. In real life Kat is me, Kris and Sam are my two best friends, Zen is my cousin, and Meg is my sister. These are however, as I am hoping you could figure out; not our real names. The lovely girl my OC Sam is modeled after also happens to have written the story Living in Another Dimension. Sorry this took so long to post, I had to contact my sister and cousin and catch them up; I wanted to make sure they felt I captured their personalities with my characters. If you have questions about anything, please feel free to use the private messaging thing on the site and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Oh, and the wings thing will be explained later, I promise. _


	6. Chapter 6 Explosions, and Fire, and Love

Later, Kat sat in her psychology class and noticed that Zim was gone again. This was really weird for him. He _never_ missed class unless he was working on a plan; and even then it was only ever for one day. For him to miss two days in a row was extremely odd. Well, there was that one time he missed like a week, but that was when he was temporarily germaphobic. She understood that something big happened two days ago, but she didn't expect Zim to be affected in such a way; he really wasn't much of an emotional person; or, alien. Kat wanted to see if Zim was okay, but she thought it would probably be awkward. They _were_ friends; of a sort. Or at least they were somewhat close; as much as Zim would allow, considering he wasn't exactly a social butterfly. So if she just went over to his house randomly to see if he was okay, it would end up being awkward, because that's just how Zim was. She would just ask Gaz the next time she saw her; Gaz had told her she was going to see him today. This was most likely in order to beat him up for almost killing her brother and using mind control on her, however. _Oh, well._ The teacher walked in at that moment; giving Kat something to focus her worried, ADD brain on. It was near the end of the semester so they were being assigned to do end-of-semester projects. It would be their last grade before exams, and they had to choose a partner. Kat had her excuse; she was the only one in the class willing to work with Zim. She would go to his house this afternoon with Gaz and she would have something to say, so it wouldn't be so weird. He wouldn't be too happy when she informed him of their partnership; Zim preferred working alone; on everything; but she wasn't troubled by it. She could put up with Zim, mostly.

Gaz and Kat walked down the lonely, quiet street toward Zim's house. They talked and laughed about how Zim would probably react when he saw the two of them standing there when he opened the door. Gaz contemplated and tossed ideas around with Kat on how she was going to get back at Zim for what he did to her and Dib. But after a while the conversation ended up where they both knew it would; no matter how much they tried to avoid it. They were both going over for the same reason; partially, at least: they were worried about Zim. Not that Gaz would ever admit it, but Kat didn't really mind saying so. After all, she and the alien were friends; kind of.

"If Zim is just staying home, you have to wonder what he's doing. I mean, is he working on another plan, or is he just moping around, or maybe he's even left, and gone back to his home planet? He's hard to predict sometimes. Of course I suppose most people would be hard to predict after they basically have a psychotic breakdown."

"Yeah, I guess so." This was getting dangerously too close for comfort for Gaz. She knew where Kat was going with this; she knew the real reason they were both going to see Zim. Hanging around Kat and her sisters and friends over the years had made Gaz a little more open with them. They had shown her that it was okay to be herself and that if no one liked her because they were afraid of her, or any other reason that was part of her personality; that was their loss. They were her only friends, and they were true. Gaz was glad of it, but she was still Gaz; and when it came to really caring for someone; she preferred to stay off the subject. However, Kat was very open with that sort of thing; in fact Gaz sometimes wondered how exactly they had become friends, but perhaps it was her dark side. Gaz smiled; she recalled that Kat could be creepy if she wanted. She even had a book on torture in her room, and was fascinated by the Renaissance and all its weaponry and torture devices. Kat had many facets, and Gaz often wondered how she fit the hyper, sweet side and the creepy, nearly criminally insane side, and all the others; into one body. But, however it worked; she liked Kat because she wasn't afraid to be herself, and didn't care if others didn't like her for it. In Kat's mind, she had friends who liked her for her real self, and that was all that mattered.

Kat knew that Gaz wasn't going to open up right now, so she decided not to push any further for the time being. Besides, they were approaching Zim's house. It was just as odd-looking as Gaz had said it was; and there was smoke coming from inside.

"Oh great, what has he done now?" Kat wondered. Half of her dreaded what they would find inside, half anticipated the humor that was surely in store. The girls walked down the strange, gnome-lined sidewalk and knocked on the door. GIR answered; frantic. Kat tried to greet him; "Hi GIR-" But she was interrupted by his hysteric screaming: "HELP! MASTER, EXPLOSIONS, FIRE…. HEEEEEEELP!"

And before either of them could ask what was going on GIR ran to the elevator, squealing. So Kat and Gaz followed, worried. They knew that GIR liked explosions and destruction, and if he was afraid there was definitely something going on. They remained silent on the way down to the lab, but jumped when they heard a loud boom; they knew it would do no good to question GIR on the subject. The house had been fine; it smelled of smoke, but it was intact. A much more destructive sight awaited them below, however. The elevator doors opened only for the girls to find the lab engulfed in flames. GIR disappeared after resuming his high-pitched, panic-stricken squealing. Pieces of important-looking technology littered the floor. "ZIM! Where are you?" both girls called out to him, but he didn't respond. So they looked for him. Every now and again something would explode. After what seemed like forever, but had really been perhaps a minute or two; Gaz and Kat managed to find Zim through the smoke. He was just standing there, in an almost trance-like state. He seemed to be admiring his work, but in a way that looked an awful lot like surrender. Gaz and Kat each grabbed an arm trying to wake him from his fiery reverie. He tried to shake them off. "Zim! Get ahold of yourself!" Kat screamed at him. "Your lab is on fire, and still exploding! HELLO!" Zim managed to snap out of it when Gaz slapped him in the face and said; "WAKE UP alien boy, and put the damn fires out!" Zim rubbed the side of his face and began to yell "YOU DARE…" But then he realized it was Gaz, and thought better of it. He then half yelled, half asked; to make sure it was still alive; "Computer!"

The computer sounded like it had just dragged itself out of bed; even though that would make no sense: "Whaaaat?" Then; "Why is it so hot in here?"

"I blew up the lab and now it's on fire. Now put it out." Zim ordered matter-of-factly.

"WHAT? Why? You know what, I'm not even going to ask…" and fire extinguishing foam began to squirt onto the flames from everywhere.

"YAY!" GIR exclaimed from who knows where, and then came zooming through the air in their direction covered in foam. "The fire was so pretty, but now it's gone," he said somewhat sadly as he landed. "But now there's whipped cream everywhere!" GIR ran off again; jumping into a pile of 'whipped cream.'

Zim sighed, "That crazy, stupid little robot will never cease to- HEY! What is she doing here?" he shouted, pointing at Kat.

"Relax Zim, you idiot. She knows," Gaz said, annoyed.

"Knows what? There is nothing to know about Zim… I'M NORMAL!" he roared. "This is simply, a, uh, an experiment! Humans do odd experiments with explosions and fire all the time on T.V. I believe it is called MythBusters…"

Kat grabbed Zim's antennae and firmly faced him; "Look, Zim; cut the act, OK? I know what you are, and I know what this is, and I know what happened and what's going on. You would think that after years of knowing Gaz and Dib, and sitting with you at lunch sometimes, and everything else you've done, I would know what you are, and you would accept it. I've got the first part down, how about you try to do the second?"

Zim was for once in his life; speechless. He simply stood there and let the information sink in, he feared if he moved, one of them would strike him again. If there was one thing Zim had learned on this planet, it was that human females, no matter their disposition, could be scary when they wanted to be. He finally gained the courage to fearfully ask; "Can I have my antennae back now?" Kat released him. He wriggled his feelers to get the feeling back in them.

"AAHHH!" The three yelped in tandem. A substantial fragment of ceiling fell to the floor; too close for comfort.

"Great, Zim, it wasn't enough that you burn the place, now you have to bring it crashing down on us too," Gaz sneered.

"Oh, don't blame it on me."

"Why not? It's your fault," Kat reasoned.

"No it's not, it uh, it was, um, uh, it, um, YOUR FEET ARE STUPID!" Zim cried, unable to come up with a better excuse.

"My stupid foot is gonna come in contact with your face if you keep this up," Kat threatened playfully.

"Why must everyone be so mean to Zim?" he said in a slightly pitiful voice as he turned to a computer screen to see if anything still worked. The girls just sighed and shook their heads, giggling; they knew it was no use to try and explain. Throughout all of this, ceiling parts kept falling onto the floor, and the trio had to dodge every now and then. But it was coming down faster now; they realized they had to get out of there before it completely collapsed. They ran toward the elevator only to find that it had been blocked, and had to jump back as more fell. Suddenly, a whole panel tumbled around them. Zim, Gaz, and Kat were bombarded with shrapnel, but Gaz got the worst of it. She was taken down by a brick to the head. Zim gasped inaudibly. Kat screamed; "GAZ! Gaz are you OK? Speak to me, get up Gaz, please!" She ran over and knelt down to the limp form to find that she was still breathing. Relieved, she looked up at Zim who had walked over behind her; "Help her, please? I know you can." Had it been anyone else, he would have said 'why should he?' But he picked Gaz up and brought her over to what was left of the medical portion of his lab. He hadn't burned that; he knew it would be useful. Zim felt he owed the human; he had almost killed her brother and kidnapped and used mind control on her. He knew she hated him for it, but he was going to try to make it up to her, and Kat. They had, after all, saved him just now; even if it was from himself.

Kat wasn't sure why she hadn't had to do any convincing to get Zim to help Gaz, but she had a hunch. She had no idea if it was right, but whatever the reason she was glad he was helping her. Zim placed Gaz gently on the table she had been on only two days before, and began to run tests on her to determine her state. Kat stood at her side, staring fondly into her face. Zim wondered about the bond between the two human females; they were very close, he knew that much. Why did humans care about each other so much? It was confusing to Zim; humans would sometimes do things in order to make others happy even if it cost them. They would even sacrifice themselves for another if they cherished them enough, and the situation called for it. He didn't understand; he had always been a loner, and no one had ever cared for him that much, so he thought. His curiosity overwhelmed him, and he queried Kat; "Why do you care so much for her?"

"She's my friend," Kat answered simply. "She has been for years now. I love her. I want to make sure she stays safe. And I've known you long enough and trust you enough to know that you can take care of her."

Zim was puzzled by this. "You trust me? Why?"

"You haven't given me a reason not to. Not yet, at least," she chuckled. "I know that you wouldn't do her any harm. I'm your friend, Zim. I know you wouldn't deliberately hurt anyone who wasn't a threat. You may be reckless, stupid, egotistic, and overly ambitious sometimes, but I don't think you're heartless."

Zim was dumbfounded. Someone liked him? He had a friend? Despite what he had done two days before? "You Earth-females are confusing. One minute you are threatening to kick Zim, and the next you say you are my friend. I can't tell if you hate me or like me."

Kat laughed; "I don't hate you, Zim. I never have. You're just annoying sometimes." She teased.

"Zim is not annoying! You must spend too much time with Dib. The worm-monkey has filled your head with lies!" He put particular emphasis on the last word, as he always did when he said the word 'lie.' Kat gave him a look that said _oh, please_; while trying to hold back a giggling fit at his funny speech pattern. "Dib didn't tell me you're annoying, I figured that out just fine on my own, thanks." Kat replied. Zim opened his mouth to counter her, but she interrupted. "Why can't you two just get along, anyway? You're a lot alike you know. You could even be friends." Kat laughed at the look that crossed Zim's face at the suggestion.

"Zim and the Dib-human? Friends? I almost killed him two days ago. How do you expect that to work exactly?"

"You'll get past it. I've seen you and Dib get past your disagreements before."

"Disagreements? Funny way to put it…"

"Yes, well, you two really are alike; obviously in more ways than you know. If you plan to stop trying to take over the world, Mr. Pinky and the Brain; I think you guys could put aside your differences and get along. I assume that's the reason you blew up your lab, because you wouldn't need it anymore? I mean, after all, why else would you?"

Zim folded his arms and looked at Kat forcefully; not wanting to answer that. Sometimes he wondered why she was taking their psychology class and not teaching it. It annoyed him how human psychology worked for mostly any other species as well; so he frequently made fun of it. And Kat knew it. Kat knew he hated the fact that she not only knew he had feelings, but could tell what they were and what it meant. She found it amusing. Zim knew better than to try to argue with her; so he checked on the monitors. "She seems to be fine, just unconscious from the impact," he declared with a hint of relief; referring to Gaz.

"Good. Thank you." Kat then did something that Zim didn't know how to react to; she kissed his cheek. Zim was taken aback; he had absolutely no idea what to do. So he just stood there, blinking.

"Hello? Zim? Are you in there?" Kat waved her hand in front of his face, laughing.

Zim grabbed her wrist; "No, I am right here. Humans are very strange…"

Kat just sighed and shook her head; still laughing. She wiggled her fingers at him; "Can I have my arm back now?"

Zim freed her wrist and turned back toward the table; he had heard Gaz stir. "Go check on Gaz," he commanded Kat. She looked at him in a way that made Zim think twice about ordering her about again.

"Why can't you?" Kat prodded, but strolled over nonetheless. She did it for Gaz, though.

"Because last time I did, she punched me in the face. Zim learns from his mistakes." He caught a questioning glance from Kat. "The painful ones at least," he added. Kat smiled; she was satisfied with his answer, and shook Gaz gently to see if she was waking up. Gaz groaned and slowly sat up. "What happened?"

"You got hit in the head with a falling brick," Kat explained. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit in the head with a brick," Gaz answered sarcastically.

"Ha ha; very funny. Do you need anything?" Kat asked as Zim walked up behind her; allowing mild concern to show on his face.

"I'm fine. I do need one thing though. I need to do what I came over here to do," Gaz said menacingly.

"Gaz…" Kat warned; getting out from between her and Zim cautiously. She knew what Gaz was about to do, but she would do her best to keep Gaz from hurting herself, or hurting Zim too badly…

Zim looked quizzically at Kat and then Gaz; back and forth. Kat couldn't restrain her in this instance. Gaz pounced on Zim, he screamed. Gaz beat him relentlessly. "WHINER!" Gaz shrieked over Zim's cries. Kat knew Gaz wouldn't listen to anything she said right now. So she decided to look for GIR, and a way out. The lab had collapsed in such a way that they were trapped in the rubble. She glanced back at Zim and Gaz wrestling on the floor. "Have fun," she muttered, and turned to pick through the wreckage.

_A/N: OK so I think my chapters are going to be about this length from now on; I'm starting to get into the groove. X) I'm getting into the state where I know what I'm doing and where I'm going. Hopefully this is a good first try; the only other fanfiction I've ever done I posted not long before this one. It's Phantom of the Opera and it's got only two chapters, so let me know how I'm doing my almost first time. _


	7. Chapter 7 Tough Love

_A/N: OK so the last chapter (#6) was supposed to be called Explosions, and Fire, and Love, Oh My! But the thingy wouldn't let it be that long, sorry. Just FYI in case you wondered. And as always, please R&R and enjoy! And anything you feel is more appropriate as a private message to me than as a comment/review then please private message me! _

Gaz didn't beat Zim _too_ badly; he did let her and her brother go, and made sure she was okay today after all. But he deserved what she gave him. Now they were even; she was satisfied. Zim sat on the floor where she had left him; clutching his squeedily-spooch and glaring at her. Zim supposed he deserved it; the Gaz-human obviously cared for her brother, and did not like being imprisoned in her own mind. Zim would never make that mistake again. But for now he wondered how they were going to get out of there, and where Kat had gone. Couldn't she have helped him? Weren't friends supposed to keep friends from hurting each other?

Kat wandered around the lab, searching for any kind of opening whatsoever. She had managed to locate GIR long enough to tell him to find a way out, and then he had zoomed off again. Whether he was actually looking she had no idea, but it kept him busy; she hadn't seen him since.

"Kat," Gaz called; "where are you?"

"I'm over here, looking for a way out of this place," she answered. Suddenly she spotted a small hole, and went for it. "I found a space! I'm going to see if I can fit, and see where it goes." Gaz identified Kat climbing through the debris that had piled up below the opening.

"Be careful Kat! Don't get crushed or anything," Gaz yelled in her general direction.

Kat giggled to herself; "I won't!"

Zim walked up cautiously behind Gaz and surveyed the wreckage; combing the room for Kat. He found her; climbing through a hole in what used to be the wall. They watched her disappear, and waited anxiously. Kat crawled through the tiny passageway feeling slightly claustrophobic. She was wary of the instability of the situation, and the tunnel. She tried to concentrate on finding the end, and hopefully a way out. Suddenly she heard something rumbling, and turned her head to try to look back, but the passage was too tight for her to even do that. If she ended up having to go back, she would have to crawl backwards. She then heard what sounded like the roof caving in. _Oh great,_ she thought, _just my luck._ Kat scuttled as fast as she could down the shaft until she came to a point just wide enough to turn her head. Her suspicions were confirmed; the tunnel was collapsing. Kat scrambled to find an opening, an exit. She tried her best not to panic; and eventually reached the outlet in Zim's front yard. Kat lay on her back in the grass; breathing heavily as she watched the last of the dirt and rubble close up the escape route; knowing it could have been her. She recovered her head, and remembered that GIR, Gaz, and Zim were still stuck in there, with no way out. They also had no idea if she had made it out. She couldn't even be sure they knew it had collapsed. Then she remembered that she and Gaz had cell phones. Kat felt stupid; she had crept through a claustrophobic hole in order to escape the lab when she could have just called- wait, Zim would have been revealed if she had called the police. Well, she supposed she should at least call Gaz to let her know she was out, and see what they could do.

Gaz and Zim stood silently as they waited for some sign that there was a way out. Then they heard the rumbling, and saw the roof of the tiny shaft begin to cave in. Gaz tensed and without thinking grabbed Zim's arm and held it tightly. Zim was startled, and decided to ignore the strange gesture, even though she was beginning to cut off his circulation. "Kat?" Gaz inquired of the empty room. "Kat; are you there? Are you all right?" she yelled. No answer. Zim could see the unease creeping across her face.

"Kat, if you live, answer Zim!" he shouted; mostly to try to comfort Gaz. Seeing the strong, resilient, durable, violent, lovely human so distressed bothered Zim. There was still no reply; and Gaz grew increasingly troubled. They stood in silence for a while until suddenly Gaz crumpled to the floor holding her head. She was conscious and sitting up; Zim kneeled beside her, "What was that? Are you in pain?" Gaz took her hand from her throbbing head and did the best she could to shake it off.

"I'm fine, I'm not a whiner." But she gasped in pain.

"No, I never said you were, but if you're in pain I can make it go away," Zim coaxed. Gaz glared at him, and tried to stand, but her knees buckled, and she fell again. Zim caught her before she reached the floor however, and helped her back to the table. Gaz went grudgingly; she was strong, but not stupid; she knew when she needed help: when it was dangerous to her health to go without it. Zim began to once again run tests on her with the computer to see what the problem was. Just then Gaz's phone rang, causing her to once again growl in pain. She answered it quickly in order to escape the added agony the shrill sound caused. "What?" she snarled into the phone.

"Gaz? You sound angry, what happened?"

She recognized her friend's voice; "Kat, you made it! You're not buried in the tunnel?"

"No," she laughed; "I'm fine; I made it out just before it collapsed completely. I'm on the outside of the house in Zim's front yard. Are you two all right?"

"Yes, we're fine, nothing else but the passage caved in thankfully." Gaz put Kat on speaker so Zim could hear her as well.

"Well, that's not entirely true. I'm fine, but Gaz here seems to be suffering the effects of what is possibly a concussion," Zim corrected; earning him an unsavory glance from the patient.

"What? Gaz are you okay? Zim, you take care of her, you hear me? Or I'll have Kris, Sam, Zen, and Meg over here and it won't be a pleasant visit."

"I will, I promise. I thought you said you trusted Zim, geez," he grumbled.

"I do, I know you'll take care of her. But I wanted to make sure you knew what would happen if we got you out and Gaz wasn't OK," Kat chirped. Zim and Gaz shook their heads; sighing. It could never be said of Kat, Kris, Sam, Meg, or Zen that they weren't fiercely loyal to those they cared for. "So how are you two going to get out?"

"Well, the computer can repair the lab enough for us to get out, but it may take a day or so," Zim reported.

"A day or so," Gaz questioned in disbelief; "that long?"

"Let's face it," Zim admitted; "there is substantial damage…" Gaz was still scowling at him. "It's not like I don't have food or anything! We can live just fine down here for a day or two," he defended.

"Well, if you two will be OK there for a while, I'm gonna go round up Kris, Zen, Meg, Sam, and Dib to see if we can figure out a way to get you out sooner, OK?" Kat suggested.

"All right; if you think you can get us out sooner; then by all means try," Gaz agreed; staring pointedly at Zim. He just shrugged and began to command the computer to initiate repairs in places where it would be most beneficial.

"OK; I know you guys will make it. Just hang in there, and don't kill each other please. We'll do what we can to get you out. Good thing it's a weekend. I'll call you back as soon as we get anything, all right?"

"OK Kat; thanks. We'll talk to you then," Gaz answered.

"All right, talk to you then. Bye."

"Bye," Gaz replied, and hung up. She then turned to Zim. "Why did you tell her about my head?" she accused. "She doesn't need to be worried about me."

"Kat is your friend and I thought she would like to know. She is concerned for your safety and would have been upset with me had I not told her," Zim replied tersely.

"Since when have you cared if you upset someone?" Gaz retorted sharply. Zim was slightly offended at this remark; especially from Gaz.

"She said I was her friend," he nearly whispered; not looking at her. Gaz was surprised; she hadn't expected that kind of response from Zim. Perhaps he was succumbing further to human emotion the longer he lived here. Gaz decided to leave it alone for now, and remained silent. Zim changed the subject for her.

"It seems that you will be weak and in pain from the impact for a while, but there is no permanent damage. I have a painkiller here that may work for you, but I haven't tested it on a human yet. It may make you drowsy or a little hazy…"

"Can't be any worse than the throbbing; just give it to me," Gaz instructed.

"OK, here you are," Zim brought over a syringe filled with an odd-colored liquid. Gaz wasn't fazed; she rolled up her sleeve and presented her arm. Zim carefully injected the painkiller, disposed of the syringe, and cleaned his hands. Gaz began to feel the effects within minutes. Zim observed her vigilantly. She began to feel sleepy, and lay down on the table. She was dead to the world five minutes later. Zim went back and forth between computer screens keeping tabs on the repairs and looking for his snacks; all the while keeping a watchful eye on his patient. He eventually found a stash of food that had been untouched by the flames. He brought it to the medical section of the lab where he deposited it and set to work constructing a bed for himself and a more comfortable one for Gaz; as the cold, metal table was probably not too relaxing. Once he had completed this task Zim warily moved Gaz to the softer bed because he had no idea how long she would sleep. He succeeded in transferring her without waking her or getting injured and was satisfied. He then went to find something interesting to do while wondering what GIR was up to. It worried him when the spastic little robot was gone or quiet for so long, especially considering that in this case there was nowhere for him to go. Zim was watching the progress of the repairs and playing around on the internet when Gaz came up behind him, and sat in his lap. Zim was extremely startled by this. He looked at her eyes and found that they were still tinted that light blue-ish color. He had noticed from observing Gaz that it seemed to be an odd side effect of the drug on humans; it had not completely worn off yet. But it would very soon. He looked up into the human's strangely enchanting face and could think of nothing better to say than: "Hi." Gaz's soft, velvet laughter trickled into her answer; "Hey." Zim didn't know what to do, so he did what he could to resume his previous activities. Gaz turned to face the screens; "What are you up to?" the smooth words glided gracefully from her tongue.

"Um, just keeping track of the repairs and finding ways to entertain myself; since you were asleep," Zim answered somewhat awkwardly. He wasn't sure how to react to Gaz being this way. "Well, I'm awake now," she purred; "maybe I can help you entertain yourself…" She took his arms from they're places; he had to reach around her to get to the computer; and put them around her waist. He could perhaps get used to Gaz's behavior; he thought. Then he caught himself; this was not right. Zim should not feel this way toward a human; humans were filthy, stupid creatures that were begging to be conquered. Zim moved to get up and Gaz moved so that he could. He strode over to the beds and pretended to be occupied with something. "I think I'm going to look for GIR; he has been absent and quiet for a suspiciously long time now…" Zim made up an excuse to get away and clear his head. But it didn't work. "I'll help you," Gaz offered; "we can make it a game." She sauntered closer; "After all, GIR likes games," her voice was like honey. She ventured closer, touched his chest, whispered in his ear (or close enough); "Tag, you're it…" the playful words like black silk gliding smoothly across his face. Gaz slid her hand up to his chin; gently grasping his jawbone; Zim closed his eyes. She moved her face back so that it was in front of his, their foreheads touching; then she was gone. Zim opened his eyes; she was peeking out from behind a tall shelf that had remained standing. She laughed and disappeared behind it. Zim couldn't help it; he went after her; chased her around the lab. But then he lost her; he looked everywhere, but she had vanished. Then a gentle breeze hit his back; he turned to find Gaz hovering in the air several feet above him; vast bat-like wings unfurled and sustaining her flight. He was astounded. She landed in front of him; smiling; "I win." Gaz circled Zim, he watched her with wonder, his eyes wandering her body and wings.

"When did that happen?" Zim asked when he regained the use of his voice. Gaz smiled; "When I was conceived. I assume you know what that means?" Zim nodded as a slight blush crossed his face. Gaz stopped and looked Zim square in the face, demanding his concentration. "Can you keep a secret, Zim?" she commanded his honesty with her tone and her eyes. He nodded. "Promise me," she insisted. "I promise," Zim said; he meant it. He knew better than to betray her trust, and had not even known he had gained it. Gaz knew he would not break his promise; he feared her, though he would never admit it. She had begun to trust him on a personal level as well; he had spared her and cared for her in the past few hours and two days ago. Recently the thought had snuck into her mind that perhaps he fancied her. Then Gaz began to notice things; small details that she recalled over the years that suggested the same thing. She would never admit it, but she had long ago begun to care for him as well, and hoped that he felt the same. Gaz admired him for his determination despite his frequent failure. She also found his destructive, violent, and spontaneous nature alluring. He had very little regard for anything but himself and his plans, and took no interest in what he destroyed along the way. He was ridiculous; spoke in an odd but entertaining manner, and was sometimes stupid. But Gaz had discovered in Zim a match for her dark soul that she could find nowhere else. She had never felt this way about _anyone_, and had to know if the alien could feel the same. So she would see if Zim could care for her after this; she would tell him something she had never told anyone. Meg, Zen, Kris, Sam; none of them knew, not even Kat was aware of Gaz's mutation. Dib, Dr. Membrane, and the doctors who delivered her were the only people alive who were privy to the information that she was about to bestow on Zim. She decided to trust him with it, and knew he would keep her secret. But did he, or could he still; feel affection for her when he knew her real self? Gaz had been planning this for a while and finally had an opportunity and an excuse; he had played beautifully into her hands just now. She would test her theory tonight. "Let me tell you a story," she began; "it all starts before I was born…"


	8. Chapter 8 Secrets

_A/N: Hey everybody, sorry this took so long to post; I've had it done for a while. It's just that I don't like to post a chapter until I finish writing the one after it (a little security measure, but I suppose I'm putting it to use now) because that way if I get writer's block for too long I can post that chapter and just wait a little while until I get inspired again. (If that made any sense) I've been having trouble finishing Ch. 9, but I am working on getting some inspiration (and by that I mean getting my friends who I based my OCs on to help me out a bit.) So, until I post again, please review, it makes me happy to see that people like it! And I could always use some constructive criticism; I'm wondering how I'm doing at keeping everyone in character. I know Gaz is way OOC right now, but there are reasons for that; she's had a little influence from her friends over the years, she's on painkiller still, and she's being sneaky. So without further ado, some secrets are about to be revealed as the kind of-cliffhanger is relieved, and some slightly weird things happen. Enjoy! _

_A flashback begins, we see Professor Membrane conversing with some other paranormal experts. Before Gaz was born, Professor Membrane believed in the supernatural, and was studying it. A little less than a year after Dib was born; her father had been working with demons. Little did he know; he had been possessed that day by a weaker demon that played a large part in Gaz's conception. The demon grew weaker and was easily eradicated from the good scientist, but Gaz was slightly mutated. The girl grew at a normal pace, and it was a relatively smooth pregnancy. However, it was discovered when she was born that she had bat-like wings, and a quiet, but slightly demented disposition. Her hair was an interesting purple hue, and her incisors were sharper and slightly more prominent than most children's. Despite her differences, however, she was not truly evil; just somewhat violent. But one night everything changed._

_Gaz and Dib were four and five, respectively. They were playing, and Dib was teasing Gaz with a toy he had and she wanted. He wouldn't share. He did this until she got very angry, and called for their mother. He then pretended as though he was innocent, and said that Gaz only wanted it because he had it, and had only just gotten it back from her. Their mother believed him, and Gaz became even more upset when her mother told her she should share. So angry in fact that she; not knowing her own strength; lashed out at their mother; pushing her down with a wing. By then it was too late, she was very young and did not know how to control the little bit of demon in her. She saw red, and remembered nothing. But when she was older her father told her that he had heard the scream and come running. He got there in time to see the entranced four-year-old sink her fangs into her mother's thigh and rip. The artery had been severed, and there was no chance of fixing her leg; she bled out within minutes. Professor Membrane; cradling his dead wife in his arms; knew that nothing could be done to save her. So he did the only thing he could think of to protect what was left of his family. After saying goodbye and dragging himself away, he gathered his children and their belongings, and set fire to the house using the stove. His cover story was that they were about to take a long trip, and he had been outside loading the car with the kids. When the fire broke out, he had told them to stay there, and had gone in to save her. He couldn't find her before the fire and smoke got to be too much for him however, and had to get out. She hadn't made it. They lived in the middle of nowhere and by the time the fire trucks got there the whole house was gone. They moved to another state where Professor Membrane found work, and became consumed by it. The poor Professor; he was just as genius as ever, but now; a little loony. He no longer investigated the supernatural, and told himself it did not exist and his daughter was simply a genetic fluke. He told himself this lie for so long that he began to believe it, and almost forgot she was different since she barely ever so much as opened her wings. When his son showed an interest in the subject, he couldn't handle it. He couldn't let himself believe Dib, and took to declaring that he was crazy. When Gaz learned what had really happened she became angry and bitter. She of course blamed herself for everything; even though it was not truly her fault. She learned to control her inner demon, and has not lost that control ever since._

"So you see, Zim, that's why my mother is gone; I loved her to death," Gaz explained; irony dripping from the words. "This was hers," she lifted the skull pendant from her chest; "it helps me keep control. I never take it off because I'm afraid I'll lose control again." Zim was fascinated; Gaz was part demon… _Well that explains a lot,_ he thought. She was so wonderfully, beautifully dark right down to her DNA; she was perfect for him. Zim was even more captivated by her now, even against his instinct toward humans. But now he knew she wasn't completely human. And oh, how her brother would hate it… Zim smiled wickedly.

Gaz inspected him for a reaction and was surprised to find acceptance, fascination, and even what could have been attraction. But she could have been mistaken; she had to be sure beyond the shadow of a doubt before she could allow herself to succumb to him even in the smallest way. Gaz eyed him patiently, anxiously, waiting for a response.

Zim approached her; "Little Gaz, you are better than Zim could have imagined. You are as demented as I am and perhaps even more clever. I must admit I find you enticing," he crooned. "Your abilities and personality have proven beneficial to you; united we could be more powerful than either of us could imagine." Gaz was amused, and convinced. She chuckled warmly and reminded him; "You're still it you know," and disappeared, laughing, around the corner. Zim was confused by this game, but played along anyway. He chased her down and caught her this time; tackling her, and they fell onto one of the beds. "Got you," Zim said, and the pair burst into carefree laughter. At that moment they both realized how close their faces were. Gaz couldn't help it; she knew she had let her guard down too much, but oddly, she liked it. She was comfortable in her trust, and for once in her life let the emotion take over. "Zim," she said softly, "do you know what a kiss is?"

"Well, um, as part of the mission GIR and I must learn about human lifestyle in order to blend in on this planet; so yes Zim has knowledge of it."

"Ever done it?" Gaz inquired, beginning to close her eyes.

"What? No, it is a very odd human practice, the very thought of that manner of contact with a filthy human is enough to…" But his last few dramatic words were cut off by her lips making contact with his; he forgot what the rest of his sentence was. The very practice he had just tried to condemn was making his brain go haywire. But then he somehow managed to remember what a kiss meant to humans; it was a sign of affection. He couldn't get attached to a pathetic human in this way! She wasn't really that pathetic, he argued with himself, and she wasn't exactly human either… NO! He couldn't think that way; he was going to take over this miserable little planet, he couldn't do this. She would prove useful to him, but he couldn't allow this. He pulled away; it had only been a few seconds. Gaz opened her eyes; "What's wrong?" Now that she was invested in this, she wasn't going to let it go to waste.

"I have to go, uh, check on the repairs." Zim wasn't sure how to do this. Or really what to do, for that matter.

"Check on the repairs, Zim? Really? In case you haven't noticed, I think your computer is pretty self-sufficient." She paused; leaned her head to one side. "Come on, Zim, what is it? Not good enough for you?" she teased.

"I know I must be honest with you." Zim wasn't exactly sure why he was doing this. He sighed; "To humans, kissing is a sign of affection; I cannot be affectionate with a human, I am going to take over this pathetic planet, I can't have unnecessary appendages. Your abilities will be useful if we join forces in the battle for Earth, but I am ZIM!" He said in his theatrical way. "I need no one," he said somewhat reluctantly.

Gaz slowly stood up. She sent Zim a penetrating glare that said _you ass_. He had been afraid of her before, but for the first time, Zim was almost frozen in fear of this demon girl. The lights that had begun to flicker threateningly didn't help.

"Really?" She said. "That's how you want this to be? That's the excuse you give me? 'The mission?' Is that all you care about? What about what you want, huh?" She began to move closer to Zim, and to get louder. "Why is it so incredibly important that you take over Earth? Why have you been here for five years and still not made any progress? You just blew up your lab, what was that about, huh? How do you plan on doing anything without it?" With every question she got closer, "Why after all this time does it still matter that much to you? Why can't you go back to your home planet, or stay here and live out your life like a normal person? And why can't you have any emotion toward humans besides disgust and superiority?" She was in his face now; had backed him against the wall, "What about what I want? I've always been Gaz; the hardcore, Dib's scary, emotionless little sister! But I thought you were different; you knew. I thought you saw beyond what everyone else did, because you're different too, you are alien. You are the only guy besides my brother who would talk to me like a real person. So I decided to let you in; tell you my secret. I let you see who I really am, the reason for the cold, bitter outer shell. We've known each other for years; I know you've harbored feelings for me almost as long as I have for you, and you won't even kiss me! You are the only person besides Dib who really knows what I am. Why must you render yourself incapable of affection?"

It took a moment for Zim to recover himself before he dared to speak. But when he did he was solemn and cold. He knew he had to tell her; he couldn't let her walk away. Even though, thanks to him, there really wasn't anywhere she could go for the time being. But Gaz was right, he wanted this as much as she did. For some reason, Zim didn't want her to believe that was how he was. "Five Earth years ago I was under the impression that my leaders sent me on a secret and important mission to an obscure planet that I was to conquer. I was given 'advanced technology;'" the words dripped with sarcasm; he looked pointedly in the direction of a computer screen which displayed schematics of GIR. "I have spent many years and long hours planning countless ways to take it over. Zim was young and naive. Two years ago I came to find out that they had sent me here to get rid of me, and didn't believe Zim would ever accomplish anything. They considered Zim a detrimental reject." The lights had stopped flickering and most had simply gone out. He laughed sourly; his glowing eyes reflected remnants of his anger and grief with what little light there was in such a way that he was quite intimidating. "The Tallest didn't even think there was a planet out here. They were astonished when I contacted them those six months later from a planet called Earth." He sighed in a way that filled the room with lost hope and exasperation. "Everything I had worked for, for years, **everything**; it was all a lie. I vowed that day that I _would_ take over this miserable planet and then perhaps others, so the Tallest would see how _foolish_ they had been; how dangerous and valuable I was. But that was a long time ago, and still, here I am; no closer than I was when I landed here. Perhaps the Tallest were right," he finished in despair.

Gaz, despite her anger, found herself touched. Zim's deep, ruby eyes betrayed more emotion than she had ever seen him express, or, she felt horrible for thinking it; even thought him capable of. But at the same time, they were so empty. And; were those tears? No, they couldn't be; the only person she knew less likely to cry than Zim was herself. But yet, there they were; beginning to fill his eyes, one lonely droplet slid down his cheek. Gaz wiped it away; it burned and sizzled on her finger the way Zim's skin reacted to water, she ignored it. She took his face in her hands; ashamed; he turned away. In his eyes she had seen sorrow, unworthiness, exhaustion, confusion, desperation, regret, an overwhelming need to prove himself, and longing, for something he had never had. So she gave it to him; she responded in the only way she could think of; how she had always wanted to deep down: with compassion. She hugged him. Zim's eyes grew wide; he had never experienced this before. Gaz hoped he wouldn't pull away. In a move that surprised them both, he didn't. Instead, Zim wrapped his arms around Gaz and buried his face in her soft, purple, shoulder-length hair. "No one's ever done this to Zim before," his voice came muffled from Gaz's shoulder. "Wow, two firsts in one night; a kiss and a compassionate hug," she joked to lighten the mood. He let go and straightened up, laughing a little. Gaz took his hand and led Zim to the bed, where they sat down. "Why do you still care so much about them? Your leaders I mean? If they turned their backs on you, why don't you just forget them too? Why not just stay here and live out your life among the humans? You and Dib could be friends, and you wouldn't have to work so hard on these schemes of yours."

"Well I don't know; we've kind of fallen into a routine you see. Life just wouldn't be the same," he said, smiling.

"You could find something else to do. Surely your skills aren't singular to taking over the world. I think you could find something you could apply your," Gaz paused, searching for the right word; "unique brain to." She chuckled.

"Well I suppose I could think about it. I must agree with you on one point however, I do have quite a unique brain…" he smiled, they laughed together. For the first time ever they saw joy reflected in each other's eyes.


	9. Chapter 9 Brainstorming at Dib's

_Alright guys I'm reeeally really sorry it took so very, very long for this chapter, I kinda had writer's block forever and then school started getting in the way. So this chapter's about two pages shorter than normal but I figured I should go ahead and post it rather than wait until I got inspired enough to write two more pages. Here's hoping you haven't lost hope! I have finals the week after next (first week of May) so I'm gonna be busy for the next two weeks and probably won't post. Buuuuut after that it's summer for me! Yayyy! I know, sometimes college sucks and sometimes it rocks! You're so jealous of me having summer earlier than you, ha! Unless you're in college too. Or something. Yeah. Anyways, I have a few weeks between then and when work starts for the summer so I'll hopefully post a couple chapters then, but no promises. Please review! It lets me know whether I'm an OK writer or a horrible writer. I am open to suggestions and such, so just comment or IM me or whatever your preferred mode of communication is. Thanks! Hope you enjoy it. _

Kat walked swiftly toward Kris and Sam's house with Zen and Meg in tow. She had managed to get the two of them to hold their questions until they got to Dib's house; which was no small feat, considering the twins were equally hyper and curious. They were mostly silent because they saw that Kat was very worried, and so conversed quietly between themselves. Kris and Sam; also twins, were bound to assault her with questions as well, but Kat would just have to tell them to wait until later because she was determined to get to Dib's house quickly. Well, more to his lab, really. Kat knew Zim and Gaz well enough to not be exactly sure what they would do if they were left alone for a long time. Well, she had ideas; but she wasn't sure whether they would kill each other or make out… And she was afraid it would not be the latter.

Kris was lying on her bed looking at her science book, and muddling through a worksheet. She was so glad it was the weekend, finally. She was worried about Zim, though; Kat had told them he hadn't been there for two days now. They had all noticed, considering Zim was usually at lunch with them, even if they couldn't convince him to sit with them half the time. But none of them wanted to bring it up; Zim being so emotionally affected by anything really was a little unnerving to all of them. They hadn't told Kat, Gaz, or Dib but she, Sam, Meg, and Zen had planned on having a night where all eight of them went out and had fun together. Or stayed at someone's house, or whatever they could manage to convince everyone to do. She was trying to come up with ideas for this when a knock at the door interrupted her train of thought. Then Sam: "Get the door!"

"Why can't you?" Kris yelled as she got up. "You're closer!" Sam shouted. Kris sighed, and went to the door. "Kat? I'm surprised, weren't you going with Gaz to Zim's?" Kat seemed out of breath; Zen and Meg stood quietly behind her, which was odd. Kris started to get worried. "Sam; it's Kat, Meg, and Zen!"

"I did; Gaz and I went over and were greeted by a panic-stricken GIR, so we went down into the lab with him. When the elevator opened, there was fire everywhere and explosions every few minutes."

"What? Fire and explosions? What has Zim done now?" Sam asked as she walked in.

"Blown up his lab," Kris responded. "Go on," she encouraged Kat.

"Gaz and I found him and he was just standing there, as if he were in a trance or something, it was weird. But Gaz slapped him and he snapped out of it," the girls tried to hold in their giggles; "and told the computer to put the fire out. Then the base started collapsing, so we got stuck, but I found a tunnel. I climbed out of it just before the whole thing caved in. So, Zim, Gaz, and GIR are still stuck in there. Zim says the computer can fix the place enough for them to get out, but it'll take a day or so. So I propose we try to come up with a way to get them out sooner."

"To Dib's house!" Sam declared.

"Exactly what I was thinking, I came to get you." Kat smiled at how well they knew each other; she loved it. The five of them trekked to Dib's house where they explained the situation again. He took them down to his lab and they began brainstorming. "Couldn't we just y'know, get a bulldozer or something and go in from the back?" Kat suggested.

"Or we could just blow it up," Sam said.

"Because that would definitely work; considering that's what got us into this mess," Kat teased.

"What? I like explosions as much as the next girl…" Sam defended.

"Yeah, come on Kat, can't we blow something up?" Meg and Zen pleaded playfully.

"Ha ha, very funny. We need to figure out a way to get them out that doesn't involve hurting them," Kat asserted.

"Yeah," Dib agreed, "considering Gaz is already damaged enough from what you've told me. As soon as we save her and Zim I'm gonna strangle that alien for what his stupidity caused my sister…"

"Come on now, Dib, we know as well as you do that he can be stupid sometimes, but he did what he could for Gaz. He'll take care of her," Kat asserted.

"How do you know?" Dib was skeptical.

"I can just tell. Plus I told him if he didn't then Sam, Kris, Meg, Zen and I would be over there and it wouldn't be pleasant…" she grinned. All the girls smiled and nodded in agreement; they all liked Zim, but they were tight with Gaz, and in their group their girls come first. Dib just shook his head; he appreciated their concern for his sister, but he would never understand girls, especially these girls. "Well, whatever works, I suppose. Let's see if we can come up with some legitimate possibilities for getting them out of there." Dib looked around at the circle of faces; "Anyone? Aren't you the slightly disturbed, creative people? Isn't that why you fit in in this city, or at least with me, Gaz, and Zim?" Meg and Zen were busy being distracted by something shiny over in the corner, Kris, Sam, and Kat just looked at him. "Well, yes, I suppose that's true, but this isn't exactly something we do every day. We want to get them out as much as you do, but we're thinking," Sam replied. "And besides, according to Kat, they can make it just fine in there for a day or so. The only problem is them getting along," Kris added. "Yeah…" Kat just looked at them; she knew Sam and Kris were thinking the same thing she was about Gaz and Zim 'getting along.' They wanted them out of there because they weren't sure if they would find their dead bodies or their green-skinned, purple-haired babies when they got there…

Dib, of course had no idea what was going on in their little eye contact/facial expression conversation. And he was totally clueless as far as seeing what was going on between his sister and the alien he so hated; or mostly. But, he was male, so what can be expected? The six friends brainstormed; shooting down as many ideas as they threw around. Then they heard a crash, accompanied by high-pitched, nutty laughter that could only belong to one little robot…

"No…" Kat said almost under her breath while shaking her head in confusion. It took the others only an instant to catch up with her train of thought, for they recognized the crazed laughter as well. "GIR?" Kat dared to ask of the otherwise empty house. Then his little squeaking feet could be heard running down the stairs, and there he stood; green, black, and beaming with his arms up in the air; "Hi!"

"GIR!" Zen exclaimed as she ran toward him; arms open wide for a hug. "ZENNY!" the little dog squealed as in one fell swoop he shed his disguise and charged into her arms; wrapping his own tiny ones around her neck. The girls crowded around him each in turn getting a hug, and making sure he was okay. Dib stood by watching; hands in his pockets, with a rather unamused expression clouding his face, and rolled his eyes. _Girls_, he thought; shaking his head slowly. From his seat on the floor GIR stuck his arm straight up in the air and waved his little hand up and down; "Hi Dib!"

"Hey, GIR," he replied without much enthusiasm; acknowledging the robot's presence with a small nod. To Dib's surprise and alarm, the child-like droid hopped up from his place in the middle of the circle of girls and ran over to him. "Your turn!" he said with delight and latched himself to the startled teen's leg. Dib smiled weakly and reached down to awkwardly pat GIR's small, metallic, empty head. The cheery, pint-sized machine was satisfied, and after detaching himself from Dib's leg, returned to his seat on the floor.

"How did you get out?" Kat spoke the words on everyone's minds.

"How did _**you**_ get out?" he replied.

"I found a little tunnel that led up into the front yard," Kat answered.

"Me too!" GIR said gleefully.

"How could you have? The tunnel collapsed right when I made it out," Kat asked; the confused look on her face became the uniform in the room.

"Because AH made it MYSELF!" he exclaimed proudly.

"Oh." Was all Kat could muster. "That's why it was so small…" she realized. _And unsound_, she thought.

_I know, not the chapter you were hoping for after having to wait this long, right? Well sorry; hopefully the next one will be better. Oh! Just thought I should let you know I reposted chapter eight b/c I changed a few things, nothing major. Whether you want to go back and re-read it is your choice, obviously. But since it's been so long since I posted you'll probably want to anyway just so you'll remember what was going on. X) OH! And here's something else, I am on deviant art and have drawings I've made of my characters on there but here is a link that will send you straight to them; it's on a proboards site that is cool, you might wanna check out the rest of it while you're there. .?board=fanart_

_See you (or whatever) whenever I post next! _


	10. Sorry About the Delay

Hello to all my faithful readers. First I must apologize for the ridiculous amount of time that has passed since I last updated. Second I thank you all so much for sticking with me all this time, I truly appreciate it. Thirdly I will say that regrettably this is not what you have been waiting for. I have yet to finish chapter ten but I promise you it is in the works. I will work on it as my inspiration allows. Meanwhile I politely suggest that you check out my profile and see what else is in store for the future. Plus other random things about me. I am working on getting a new story started, and if you go to my profile the subject shall be revealed. That's all for now, my lovelies, and I do hope this hasn't disappointed you too awfully. I promise to finish chapter ten as soon as I can. Thank you once again for not giving up on me. It means a lot. 3


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